Computer scientist and teacher Vickram Bharrat was yesterday appointed Minister of Natural Resources and will head the oil & gas industry, underscoring that with the sector expected to be this country’s top revenue earner, his priority will be the establishment of a Petroleum Commission.
While President Irfaan Ali said that the sector will again fall under the ministry, Bharrat said that the new government has not yet decided if the Department of Energy will be kept.
The Minister of Natural Resources hopes that as soon as the 13th Parliament begins that the Petroleum Commission Bill will once again be tabled, as his government believes that it is needed for the sector to be insulated from political interference before any major decisions for the sector could be made.